(CNN) The European Union has launched legal proceedings aimed at protecting Poland's judges from political control, a statement from the European Commission revealed Wednesday, saying the Polish government's moves are creating "a chilling effect." In a Letter of Formal Notice, the EU accused the government of undermining "the judicial independence of Polish judges by not offering necessary guarantees to protect them from political control." The letter marks the start of infringement proceedings by the European Commission, launched when a member state is deemed to have breached community law. Since coming to power in 2015, Poland's ruling right-wing Law and Justice party, known as PiS, has implemented a series of changes expanding its power over the country's judiciary. The ongoing disagreement with the EU led to the bloc's highest court ruling in December that Poland must "immediately" suspend a law that forced Supreme Court judges over the age of 65 to retire.

Source: CNN April 03, 2019 16:07 UTC